The venerable Keyboard Maestro can do a lot more than just open an app when you hit a keyboard shortcut: It can launch all sorts of different actions using all kinds of different triggers. Here are eight super-useful (and surprising) examples.

Double-clicking apps and docs to open them isn't exactly hard. But what if you want to open them automatically at a specific time or under specific circumstances? Topher Kessler explains how to use OS X's built-in tools to do just that.

Managing files, dealing with email, working with iTunes, and more: All can be made a lot easier with automation tools like Hazel, Keyboard Maestro, and TextExpander (plus old standbys like AppleScript, Automator).